Fleming would make a wonderful coach - Vettori

Daniel Vettori believes former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming would make a "wonderful" coach and is best suited to fill the position left vacant by Andy Moles. Vettori also indicated that he was happy to don the role of player-coach for the next few months, including the limited-overs series against Pakistan in the UAE and home Tests that follow, but he would prefer to see someone come into the role.

"Stephen and I keep in regular contact and he's been quite a big help in going through all this stuff and some other things that have gone on," Vettori told the Sunday Star-Times. "He has concerns about my workload and he wants to be a sounding board and do anything he can to help.

"He's definitely got coach written all over him and he could be an extremely successful one; it's just whether he wants to get back into that life of touring the world and in that regard it it probably is too soon for him. But he would make a wonderful coach."

Moles resigned as New Zealand coach on Saturday following reports that the senior players were unhappy with a lack of technical and tactical support being provided by him. Moles and Justin Vaughan, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive, took part in mediation talks and came to an agreement that Moles would step down, after a review of the team's performance in Sri Lanka and at the Champions Trophy suggested that changes should be made.

Vaughan though, believed this was "not the right time" to discuss the possibilities that Fleming might take over. For the time being, team manager Dave Currie is expected to take more management responsibility over the support staff in Moles' absence, while current assistant coach Mark O'Donnell will remain with the team.

However, it's unlikely that a replacement for Moles will be in place before the end of the year as NZC is unlikely rush the process after the experience with Moles. Vettori though, said he was happy to operate under those conditions as long as he was given help along the way.

"We've got good resources within New Zealand and we could tap into those without putting the mantel of head coach on them and putting them under immense pressure. I'm thinking here of someone like John Wright first and foremost. Maybe he could come in and help the team without being head coach.

"It's difficult trying to do everything, but I have been performing well so far. I only want to do this job for a short period of time and if I can give everything to it for that period, hopefully we can turn around some results."

Wright - the former New Zealand opener and ex-India coach - is currently the high performance manager for NZC, but has stated in the past that he does not want to return to coaching because of the travel and time spent away from family. Other names doing the rounds include Steve Rixon, who has considerable coaching experience - his latest stint was in the ICL with the Hyderabad Heroes.

Vaughan admitted Vettori had a huge workload. "I'm not worried about Daniel but we are very conscious he is taking a large burden. But he wants to lead this side, he is leading this side. It is a burden, but he wants to shoulder that burden and create a legacy around this team."

The tour of UAE kicks off on November 3 with three ODIs in Abu Dhabi, followed by two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai. The teams will then fly to New Zealand for the return leg, comprising three Tests, the first of which begins on November 24 in Dunedin.

I smell a problem here...there is obviously too much reliance on one person and for vettori to get involved in some many issues seems much like the corporate governance problem of chairman and chief executive being the same person..

mansoor
on October 27, 2009, 6:55 GMT

yes indeed it will will great for new Zealand, even when fleming was playing for them he was more or less inspiration for the youngsters, like imran khan had.

Rahul
on October 27, 2009, 4:56 GMT

It seems that Vettori has a larger than life image...for everything, its Vettori's say that finally matters. NZC seem to overburden him a lot

Usman
on October 27, 2009, 3:31 GMT

poor vettori..what would nz cricket do without him??

B.
on October 27, 2009, 2:56 GMT

Vettori needs to start umpiring as well. Then we might win a few Tests.

vishal
on October 26, 2009, 23:21 GMT

wow...dan the man...but wat if he got injured???

Sam
on October 26, 2009, 21:48 GMT

Fleming was considered the best captain in cricket by his peers and was a regular inclusion as captain of World XI teams. It would appear that Fleming has been on the scene the whole time mentoring Vettori and discussing issues with him. Vettori is a sophisticated player that employs good strategies and has the respect of his team. It is true though that he should not have the burden of coaching for too long. If Fleming wants the role then I could think of no one more suitable. Fleming is a true New Zealand cricketer. He knows how to get the most out of an under-resourced team and has loads of international experience. When Vettori came out in the Champions Trophy semi final and said "if we can restrict them to less than 300 we will have a chance" you could see Fleming's influence. Applying pressure in the pre-match interview - gold!

Sushil
on October 26, 2009, 14:14 GMT

Fleming would certainly make a good coach. He was certainly limited as a batsman but was a good leader and with his deep voice, presence and lovely thoughts on how to maximize potential will surely take New Zealand cricket forward.

Chris
on October 26, 2009, 13:16 GMT

Has anyone else ever thought that Vettori should try wicketkeeping between bowling overs?

Sony
on October 26, 2009, 13:05 GMT

Is NZC expecting one person to select, coach, captain, be the main bowler and be the main batsman at the same time?

Santhosh
on October 27, 2009, 7:42 GMT

I smell a problem here...there is obviously too much reliance on one person and for vettori to get involved in some many issues seems much like the corporate governance problem of chairman and chief executive being the same person..

mansoor
on October 27, 2009, 6:55 GMT

yes indeed it will will great for new Zealand, even when fleming was playing for them he was more or less inspiration for the youngsters, like imran khan had.

Rahul
on October 27, 2009, 4:56 GMT

It seems that Vettori has a larger than life image...for everything, its Vettori's say that finally matters. NZC seem to overburden him a lot

Usman
on October 27, 2009, 3:31 GMT

poor vettori..what would nz cricket do without him??

B.
on October 27, 2009, 2:56 GMT

Vettori needs to start umpiring as well. Then we might win a few Tests.

vishal
on October 26, 2009, 23:21 GMT

wow...dan the man...but wat if he got injured???

Sam
on October 26, 2009, 21:48 GMT

Fleming was considered the best captain in cricket by his peers and was a regular inclusion as captain of World XI teams. It would appear that Fleming has been on the scene the whole time mentoring Vettori and discussing issues with him. Vettori is a sophisticated player that employs good strategies and has the respect of his team. It is true though that he should not have the burden of coaching for too long. If Fleming wants the role then I could think of no one more suitable. Fleming is a true New Zealand cricketer. He knows how to get the most out of an under-resourced team and has loads of international experience. When Vettori came out in the Champions Trophy semi final and said "if we can restrict them to less than 300 we will have a chance" you could see Fleming's influence. Applying pressure in the pre-match interview - gold!

Sushil
on October 26, 2009, 14:14 GMT

Fleming would certainly make a good coach. He was certainly limited as a batsman but was a good leader and with his deep voice, presence and lovely thoughts on how to maximize potential will surely take New Zealand cricket forward.

Chris
on October 26, 2009, 13:16 GMT

Has anyone else ever thought that Vettori should try wicketkeeping between bowling overs?

Sony
on October 26, 2009, 13:05 GMT

Is NZC expecting one person to select, coach, captain, be the main bowler and be the main batsman at the same time?

sundaresh
on October 26, 2009, 12:52 GMT

I am not quiet sure. Because, I dont think he did a great job for Chennai Super kings. Anyways, I wish Both fleming and NZ all the best for the series against PAK.

Josh
on October 26, 2009, 12:21 GMT

Vettori = New Zealand Cricket

Mike
on October 26, 2009, 10:47 GMT

I agree Fleming would be a wonderful coach once going through the coaching setup.. And if he does just come straight in would he be tempted to play again? I bet he would still be one of NZ's top 10batsmen even now..

Rob
on October 26, 2009, 10:33 GMT

Is there any doubting Vettori's integrity that he shouldn't get what he asks? If there isn't then give the man the job. Now!

Ritesh
on October 26, 2009, 10:21 GMT

Vettori is quite overworked. Apart from being NZ's best bowler, he is a reliable batsman and an inspirational leader. Now, saddling him with the responsibility of coaching is a little too much. Well, in a way, if reports are to be believed, he was the default coach of the team, with Andy Moles not being able to pull his weight. Being withut a coach for sometime is not all that bad, considering India were without a coach for almost a year and produced some good results in that period. However, what will make Vettori's job tougher is that unlike Dhoni, he does not have a pool of senior players in the side he can share the workload with. Vettori leads a relatively young, albeit, talented bunch of players, and it is evident that they rely heavily on him. So, the smart thing to do would be to appoint a coach as soon as possible and spare Vettori this additional burden. You do not want your best player to burn out. Fleming, Crowe, Smith are some options that NZC can look at.

Craig
on October 26, 2009, 9:49 GMT

Nice to see that NZ's cricketers are such a close-knit bunch. It is also refreshing to see that Vettori is confident enough not to feel his leadership would be threatened by a towering figure of NZ cricket like Fleming.

lucy
on October 26, 2009, 9:43 GMT

Just out of curiosity, does Fleming have any formal coaching qualifications? Would he need any? Mind you, I trust DV's judgement. But just because someone has the raw talent to be a coach (ie knows strategy, psychology) doesn't mean they couldn't use more lessons in things like media manipulation, managing a team of subcoaches, being able to lead a team when you're not on the field yourself.

Grary
on October 26, 2009, 8:08 GMT

Awesome!!! He's the perfect guy to do the job.

Auchi
on October 26, 2009, 8:02 GMT

It would be absolutely wonderful if Fleming became the coach.

No featured comments at the moment.

Auchi
on October 26, 2009, 8:02 GMT

It would be absolutely wonderful if Fleming became the coach.

Grary
on October 26, 2009, 8:08 GMT

Awesome!!! He's the perfect guy to do the job.

lucy
on October 26, 2009, 9:43 GMT

Just out of curiosity, does Fleming have any formal coaching qualifications? Would he need any? Mind you, I trust DV's judgement. But just because someone has the raw talent to be a coach (ie knows strategy, psychology) doesn't mean they couldn't use more lessons in things like media manipulation, managing a team of subcoaches, being able to lead a team when you're not on the field yourself.

Craig
on October 26, 2009, 9:49 GMT

Nice to see that NZ's cricketers are such a close-knit bunch. It is also refreshing to see that Vettori is confident enough not to feel his leadership would be threatened by a towering figure of NZ cricket like Fleming.

Ritesh
on October 26, 2009, 10:21 GMT

Vettori is quite overworked. Apart from being NZ's best bowler, he is a reliable batsman and an inspirational leader. Now, saddling him with the responsibility of coaching is a little too much. Well, in a way, if reports are to be believed, he was the default coach of the team, with Andy Moles not being able to pull his weight. Being withut a coach for sometime is not all that bad, considering India were without a coach for almost a year and produced some good results in that period. However, what will make Vettori's job tougher is that unlike Dhoni, he does not have a pool of senior players in the side he can share the workload with. Vettori leads a relatively young, albeit, talented bunch of players, and it is evident that they rely heavily on him. So, the smart thing to do would be to appoint a coach as soon as possible and spare Vettori this additional burden. You do not want your best player to burn out. Fleming, Crowe, Smith are some options that NZC can look at.

Rob
on October 26, 2009, 10:33 GMT

Is there any doubting Vettori's integrity that he shouldn't get what he asks? If there isn't then give the man the job. Now!

Mike
on October 26, 2009, 10:47 GMT

I agree Fleming would be a wonderful coach once going through the coaching setup.. And if he does just come straight in would he be tempted to play again? I bet he would still be one of NZ's top 10batsmen even now..

Josh
on October 26, 2009, 12:21 GMT

Vettori = New Zealand Cricket

sundaresh
on October 26, 2009, 12:52 GMT

I am not quiet sure. Because, I dont think he did a great job for Chennai Super kings. Anyways, I wish Both fleming and NZ all the best for the series against PAK.

Sony
on October 26, 2009, 13:05 GMT

Is NZC expecting one person to select, coach, captain, be the main bowler and be the main batsman at the same time?

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